The German supermarket group has given its drinks aisle a serious rethink and has announced a new, wide-ranging selection of Scottish, UK and world beers - many of which will also undercut retail leaders such as Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's on price.
The Brewery comes in the wake of the chain's success in revamping their wine and spirits selection with the launch of the Lidl Wine Cellar.
Lidl will now be championing 48 regional beers at stores across the country, with further additions to their craft beer range to be made in September. Prices per bottle will range from from £1.17 to £1.69, with the majority marked at £1.49.
Morland Old Speckled Hen, for example, will cost £1.17 in Lidl, compared with £2 in Sainsbury’s, £1.50 in Asda and £1.25 in Tesco while Shepherd Naeme Bishop’s Finger will cost £1.25 in Lidl compared to £1.50 currently in Asda.
While some craft beer afficionados will scoff at the inclusion of larger breweries Morland, Greene King and Shepherd Neame, Lidl will be selling a number of beers from small, lesser known UK craft brewers which are sure to excite.
These include the likes of Cwrw Gorslas and Welsh Pale Ale from Red Kite Brewery in Llantrisant, Mid-Glamorgan; Portobello Star from the Portobello Brewery in Notting Hill in West London; Ruby Rooster and Golden Goose from Hatherwood Brewery in Witney, Oxfordshire, amongst others.
Belgian beers have also made the grade, with offerings from Chouffe and Liefmans.
Musician and food columnist Alex James, who is helping to front the supermarket's new campaign, said: “As a lifelong fan of good quality beer I am very happy to be supporting Lidl UK with the launch of its brewery concept.
"The beer category is so vast and the demand for craft ales has increased by a huge amount in the past few years. Nowadays there are so many beer aficionados and great local breweries around the UK so it is tremendous to see a supermarket like Lidl supporting them.”
